First Time Leather Worker - First Holster

[katsass]

I wrote this kind of long tutorial/history for the first timer wanting to make a holster.Hope it gives someone a bit of assistance. Mike

I see on this forum, a goodly number of folks deciding that making their own holster as the way to go to save some $$, start a new hobby, get a hand-made useful item for their personal use, or, for whatever the hell reason they have decide to go this route. Always, the first question to come up is “what do I NEED to make a holster?”, and I see a pot-load of individual’s differing ideas of the necessities. Now, I AM a grumpy old fa, uh -- man - - at times, I admit that, but I do have to shake my head at some of the ‘necessities’ I have seen listed, and the cost associated therein. What I am about to describe are the ‘tools’ and method I used in the construction of my very first holster, made in the early 1950s, for a .22 pistol given as a gift for my birthday. Done mostly with what was on hand, readily available to most folk, or easily obtained at small cost. I bought two items, other than leather; needles and thread - - that’s all I had the money for. I do here include a book (which I didn't have at the time) which gives a comprehensive description of the construction of a holster, written by a true expert. That book is ‘How To Make Holsters” by Al Stohlman. At only $12 or so, it IS a necessity IMO.

OK, after getting the book, you need PATIENCE. When starting out on a new project we all want to get it finished as quickly as possible so as to hold, observe, cuddle, treasure and show off out new masterpiece. Ignore that desire - - as a very nice lady once said on this very forum, “leatherwork is not for those seeking instant gratification” - - - I say it more pointedly. Slow the hell down, and take your time!

You have your book - - have READ it, and now NEED a pattern. You may have decided on one from the book, or you will be able to draw one for yourself from the instructions in the book. You are smart enough to NOT try to come up with a super-dooper inside/outside, cross-draw gizmo to carry your favorite shooter in, knowing that that sort of thing will take more expertise and ability than you possess at this time. A simple, one piece, pouch type holster will provide you with the experience needed to progress to more complex designs down the road, and you know that this type of holster has served the gun toting public very satisfactorily for well over a century.

Now you NEED leather. There are all sorts of dead cow skin; latigo, bridle, chrome-tanned, oil tanned, tooling, rawhide, etc. Tooling, (or veg-tanned) leather is what you want, the others are generally tanned with chemicals, the residue of which can damage the finish of you shooter, or, for other reasons have proved unsuitable. How thick or how ‘heavy’ a piece of leather is need? For most handguns, 8/9oz leather is quite satisfactory. Leather is measured by the ‘weight’ of the stuff - - in ounces (oz). Each oz of weight is equal to about 1/64” in thickness, so you want a chunk of dead cow skin, vegetable (veg) tanned, about 8 to 9 64ths of an inch in thickness. You can do the math to convert to decimal designation or the metric system, but it ain‘t necessary. Leather also comes in differing qualities, and from different parts of the poor deceased critter’s hide. For holsters I recommend (as most makers do) shoulder leather. I also recommend that you look around as to suppliers.. There are quite a few dealers that advertise on this website. I personally use Springfield Leather. They’ll sell as little as two square feet of what you want. Many use the Tandy Leather Factory because of the availability of their stores - - (disclaimer here) I refuse to use their leather because IN MY OPINION they sell rather low quality stuff (to put it nicely).

You have your pattern and your leather, now you NEED something to use to cut out your pattern - - a damned sharp knife. One that is controllable enough to cut nice smooth curves, so your favorite chef’s knife from the kitchen ain’t going to work. A razor knife works well, a heavy-duty X-Acto knife, or even a box cutter with a new blade will do. Most homes seem to have something along this line that will work. Just make sure it’s SHARP.

After your (soon to be) masterpiece is cut out, you’ll want to smooth out those cut edges. Sandpaper will do the trick, so that’s another NEED. About 180 grit initially, will knock down the rough stuff, and a follow up with about 220 grit will smooth and round-over the edges well for burnishing. All you need for burnishing is a little water and a piece of coarse denim or canvas type cloth. A piece of smooth wood, or the smooth edge of a plastic pen will also help. OH, some elbow grease is also needed, but that doesn’t cost you anything.

Your first step in construction (after cutting) will be to fold the belt loop over and stitch it down. You should thin the bottom of the loop to blend it in to the back of the holster. It isn’t absolutely necessary, but makes for a more professional appearance. That can be done with your coarse sandpaper, and, again, elbow grease.

You’ll NEED something to stick the belt loop down and hold it in place for the next step. I suggest a small bottle of contact cement to do the job, and for another step later on.

With the loop stuck in place, you now should stitch it down solidly. First, you’ll NEED something to punch holes with. For nice stitching you’ll want to mark stitching holes evenly, and an easy way to do this is with a table fork. Moisten the back of the belt loop with a damp sponge, and carefully press the tine-points of a table fork around the lower perimeter, about 3/16” in from the edge of the loop and across the loop, leaving about 1 ¾” open for a belt. The holes are marked by indentation in the leather, and can give you about 5spi (stitches per inch) depending on how close the tines of the fork are to each other. The closer the better. Use of the same fork later will give you an even stitch length throughout your project. You can purchase all kinds of punches, chisels, awls etc. to make holes, but we are talking about doing this on the ’frugal’ side, without the purchase of anything other than that which is absolutely necessary. SO, lay that chunk of leather down on a piece of scrap wood, preferably smooth and clean, and drive a small diameter nail, carefully, into the center of each dimple. (I used small finish nails) ’Whoopee! Holes for stitching - - done.

For stitching you NEED needles and thread, and it is well worth getting the proper type for the job. Two harness needles (you’ll have to buy a ten-pac most likely) and a small spool of waxed LINEN thread is what you want. All leather supply outfits have them. I suggest size #0 or #1 harness needles. Again I suggest against using that “T” place, as many have experienced broken needles from them, and thread that decides to break at the least opportune time. Stitch away as described in the book you bought.

Many will like to have a nice, even dark tan color to their holster, and all that will require is to raid Ma’s kitchen larder for some olive oil and a little time. Dampen a clean rag with the oil and apply a light coat to the smooth (grain) side of the leather - - as evenly as possible. Lay it out in bright sunshine for a couple of days and the leather will tan up nicely and evenly (bring it in at night lest dew form on it). Remember that I initially indicated that patience was a virtue?? This will darken the leather just like a guy getting a suntan - - more time, darker tan. Also, this will allow your project to take on a wonderful darker patina as time goes on, one that cannot be done as well with dye.. If you take your time and work carefully, this holster is going last you many years and the older it gets, the better it will look, so time spent now is well worth the wait. You can, however, bypass this step and go on to the next.

At this time you want to make the pouch by folding over the front side and aligning the front and back edges Wet your leather down well under running water in the sink. Lay it down on the counter top with the inside (rough or ‘flesh‘) side up and wander off and ignore the fool thing for twenty minutes or so. This allows the water to uniformly penetrate the leather for ease of manipulation. Now fold the front over and align the edges as well as possible - - they most likely will NOT align perfectly - - and press down well at the fold. If you can find something smooth and with some weight (maybe an old telephone book?) sit it on top of the folded leather and chase mama around the house, brew some beer, milk a cow - - do anything to keep your mind off of it ’till tomorrow, when it’s dry. When fully dry, apply a line of the contact cement along each of the two (roughly) matching edges, allow to dry for a bit and stick them together, Press them down well, put the .phone book on that area for an hour or so to bond well. Sand those edges ’till they become one, even edge. Find your fork again and make an even row of dimples about 3/16” in from the edge of the front, all the way down the side of your rig. I personally leave the toe open on most of my holster because all kinds of stuff ends up down there over the years if it is stitched shut.

Well, it kind of looks like a holster now, so lets make it fit your shooter. Wet it down in the sink again and set it aside ‘till it begins to become lighter in color. That may take an hour or so, so do whatever you need to do to stay away from it for that long. I like to place the gun that the holster is made for into a plastic freezer bag before placing it in the damp holster. Stick that shooter in the rig and force it in as far as it will go, and by hand, mold the leather tightly around the gun. Place the rig in a place where warm air can flow over it to dry. After an hour or so, carefully remove the gun and replace the empty holster in an area to dry thoroughly - - like over night. In the morning, if dry (not cool or damp to the touch) apply a light coat of the olive oil from Ma’s pantry, and put the thing away for another 24 hours. (kind of difficult to do isn't it?) Now it’s time to apply a finish, and since we are working in the frugal mode, a hand rubbed coat of neutral shoe wax will work very well for fair-weather use. Rub it in all over, allowing the warmth from you fingers to get the wax into the pores of the leather, then buff the snot out of it with a soft cloth. FINISHED! You should be proud and happy as a witch in a broom factory.

Now, you have purchased an inexpensive book, leather, needles and waxed thread. You have made a useful item.You may have had to also buy some contact cement and sandpaper, but costs are at a minimum, you have gotten your hands on the leather, and know what to expect and what you can do with it. You now can make a knowledgeable decision as to whether you want to go on working with leather and spend the money to get the tools that make things easier. Hope this helped. Mike

Edited October 7, 2012 by katsass

[Bob Blea]

Thank you for taking the time to put this tutorial together!

Bob

[katsass]

Bob, thank you for your gracious comment, and may I say that you do some fine work (took a look at your etsy page). At one time, back in the 1970s, i felt that i could do some pretty fair leather carving - - I quit that part of the craft and went to inlay work instead. I felt that my carving and tooling just wasn't what I wanted it to be. Here's a pic of the very last thing I did with carving - - a leather covered rifle stock (still under construction). one of 7 done for the same man. They were the biggest pain in the backside I ever attempted, and NEVER again. I apologise for the poor quality of the pics - - they are digital photos taken of 35mm prints, taken back then. Mike

Edited October 8, 2012 by katsass

[mcn]

Great tutorial with lots of of information but you forgot to mention a very important tool. I think it's the one we are looking at now. From one grumpy old guy to another,something neither one of us had when we started out. There are so many people sharing knowledge now , simply amazing. You don't have to make the mistakes or do the foot work that we did. Research the forums check out the face book pages, Master of Leather, Holsters for handguns. Just a couple of examples of places where people will share there knowledge on how to make a holster from the basics to the finer points and are happy to help .

[mlapaglia]

Mike,

Excellent job and done in your inimitable style. Great information and a great read.

Well Done Sir.

Michael

[Bob Blea]

Bob, thank you for your gracious comment, and may I say that you do some fine work (took a look at your etsy page). At one time, back in the 1970s, i felt that i could do some pretty fair leather carving - - I quit that part of the craft and went to inlay work instead. I felt that my carving and tooling just wasn't what I wanted it to be. Here's a pic of the very last thing I did with carving - - a leather covered rifle stock (still under construction). one of 7 done for the same man. They were the biggest pain in the backside I ever attempted, and NEVER again. I apologise for the poor quality of the pics - - they are digital photos taken of 35mm prints, taken back then. Mike

Thanks for the nice compliments Mike. I think I still have a long way to go. I think your work on the rifle looks great, but I can see where that would be a pain to do.

Bob

[katsass]

Gentlemen, thank you all for your kind comments. This was written on one of those nights when sleep refuses to come due the discomfort caused by the residual effects of old injurys and the ravages of time. Looking at it now, I think I should have prefaced it better, indicating that my comments were simply that, comments, and the reader should try to follow Mr. Stohlman's directions in each step. I ended up asleep in my recliner at some ungodly hour of the morning, with a cat in my lap, just as I havve many times before. This pic is the only one ever taken of me when in that sort of condition. It was taken over 40 yeears ago, and Ma Kat thought it was 'cute'. I was on sick leave from my dept. due to a job incurred injury, and proves one point in my determination that "cat's is like wimin, they'll take advantage of a poor old man every chance they gits". I have to (mostly) exclude Ma Kat from that observation however, she's been with me for 48 years come February - - and why or how, I have no idea. Mike

[Horrrk]

This pic is the only one ever taken of me when in that sort of condition. It was taken over 40 yeears ago, and Ma Kat thought it was 'cute'. I was on sick leave from my dept. due to a job incurred injury, and proves one point in my determination that "cat's is like wimin, they'll take advantage of a poor old man every chance they gits". I have to (mostly) exclude Ma Kat from that observation however, she's been with me for 48 years come February - - and why or how, I have no idea. Mike

Cats and women train you up, subtley sometimes, but there's no doubt that you bend to their will, even if it's just that you're somewhere to rest their tired bones.. lol

Love the write up and really love the pic too, Mike.. Please tell Ma Kat she's right..it is a cute pic..lol

Regards

Phil

[Mike516]

This was probably the easiest instructional read I've ever seen. Usually I go cross eyed and forget what I'm reading after the first paragraph. If I was a kid nowadays I'd probably have ADHD or ATV or A&P or somethingerother. But this was entertaining as well as explained this for a beginner such as myself in such a way that I get it. Ordered the book today and plan on trying this for my favorite nekkid handgun.

Thanks for posting this.

[katsass]

This was probably the easiest instructional read I've ever seen. Usually I go cross eyed and forget what I'm reading after the first paragraph. If I was a kid nowadays I'd probably have ADHD or ATV or A&P or somethingerother. But this was entertaining as well as explained this for a beginner such as myself in such a way that I get it. Ordered the book today and plan on trying this for my favorite nekkid handgun.

Thanks for posting this.

Thank you Mike, I do appreciate your comments and am glad to see that you decided to jump in and give it a go. I, along with others, would like to see your completed project, even if you don't feel that it ends up exactly as you wish it had. The picture in one's mind often does not coincide with the finished product - - it happens to all of us. I include a pic of a holster done for my Doctor - to HIS desires. I don't particularly like the damned thing, it just didn't come out the way I would like - - but HE loves it. It's exactly what he wanted.

My intent in writing this was to get someone interested enough in working with leather to go ahead and give it a go, knowing that the cost would not be excessive. Be advised that a shortcoming of this sort of project is that, once completed, the lady of the house may decide that since you can do stuff with dead cow skin - - a nice leather purse may be 'strongly suggested'. Take your time and enjoy yourself. Mike

Edited October 13, 2012 by katsass

[DoubleC]

WOW Mike, I LOVE this holster and I don't have a gun. This design would make a lot of cool things. Uh, I guess if I knew what it was, a combo tic tac toe and with a cactus and roman numerals, no, that can't be right. Well I like it. And loved your tutorial because of your usual wit. Not gonna make a holster but if I ever change my mind.......no me having a gun just flashed Lucile Ball through my head. Cheryl

[Mike516]

I do have an image in my head what I'm hoping it'll come out looking like. If I can get close on my first go, I'll be happy. My main problem with all of my first run projects is that I have NO patience. Like you mentioned, I'm one of those people that want to have it and see it and touch it and rush through the process and basically ruin it because I didn't take my time. I'm really going to take my time with this.

[katsass]

Well, Cheryl, those funny things are well burnt-in replicas of old southwestern brands, The 'pigpen', 'Ladder-H', 'Tailed-8'. 'Pitchfork', (one I don't remember) 'Scissors' and you can just see the start of the 'Fishook'. The Doc wanted it darker brown - -and I argued with him over that, but he insisted. I wanted it more like this one - - and although HE likes it darker - tain't my cup-o-tea. Mike

[St8LineGunsmith]

Mike

This has to be one of the best tutorials for someone wanting to get started in leather working and you can apply

the same methods and principles to any leather project not just limited to holsters

and I have actually used these methods a time or two my self.

And I love all the examples you posted BTW

Mike